Pediatrician vs. Family Medicine Doctor

Re: Pediatrician vs. Family Medicine Doctor

• [Deleted User] member

  January 2014 edited January 2014

  The user and all related content has been deleted.

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• lazyreader member

  January 2014

  We are planning on finding a family doc. Only because we'd need one eventually (with the whole growing up thing). If we need a pediatrician for something that comes up, we can get a referral or they have access to that through our hospital.

  Report0 Reply
• epowens10 member

  January 2014

  DH and I decided to use our family doctor instead of a pediatrician. He's treated us most of our lives and knows all of our family health concerns. We talked to him and the nurses about their infant care and are satisfied that this is the choice for us. 

  
  

  Just an FYI - We did speak to several pediatricians before making this decision and weren't comfortable with any of them. 

  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• pepperedmoth member

  January 2014 edited January 2014

  We're going to the family doc who treats me. I trust him, and don't want to have to build up another relationship. I also like the idea of one provider for the whole family. When I was growing up my whole family went to one PA who treated us all, from well-child visits to my Grampa's heart disease. He was fantastic.
  
  All the outcomes-based studies I've seen pretty much all show that generalists are just as good at taking care of kids as pediatricians. It's just that pediatricians can deal with the extreme stuff. I just don't see how a pedi would be any better at giving vaccines and diagnosing bronchiolitis than a family doc, and only the family doc can treat the whole family the way I very fondly remember "Denny" doing (actually, Grampa still sees him!)
  
  I'm a bit of a special case, though, because I'm certified in family practice myself (although my current practice is 99% adult). This a) biases me in favor of generalists, and b) gives me the UTMOST confidence that between the family practice doc that I trust, and my own knowledge, we're not going to miss anything, and my kid will be appropriately referred if necessary.
  
  I guess I'm even further biased because neither I nor my husband nor any of our sibs ever had a childhood illness more dramatic than ear infections and chicken pox. Totally manageable by a family provider.
  
  ETA: Oh, and to further bias me, one of my BFFs is a family practice doc.

  

  Report0 Reply
• jennybean80 member

  January 2014

  I love my family doctor, she specializes in obstetrics and was going to do my delivery last time except DS was too early for her to safely deliver, and this time I need a high-risk OB.
  
  So even though I couldn't have her do my deliveries she takes care of DS and I, and will be the primary for these two as well. I trust her and she's been fantastic, even with DS's extra issues at the beginning.

  

  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• LolaBelle11 member

  January 2014

  We had a pedi for DS until he was 18 months. He is healthy and growing and our family doctor is comfortable treating him as well as this baby.

  

  Report0 Reply
• maganonymous member

  January 2014

  Thanks everyone for your advice!!
  

  
  
              
  

  Report0 Reply
• Meandthey member

  January 2014

  I was gonna just go to the family practice I go to. But when talking to my adoptive mom about it (she works for my doc office) she had said she has no probl Ryann going to our doc but the hours at a pediatrician an care Maybe a little better at such a young age. She had suggested my little brother doc. So gonna send my LO to that doc an of I don't like her ill switch her to my doc office

  Report0 Reply